Captain Kheiron was asleep in his quarters when he awoke with a start, something was wrong, very wrong. His hand moved out from under the pillow, blaster pistol ready.
He carefully opened his door and peered out, always with the blaster before him. Nothing. The halls outside were deathly quiet has he slowly moved towards the command deck of the station. As he crept along the only sounds heard where his own, his breathing, his footsteps, the beat of his own heart.
The station used alternating work shifts, meaning there was someone at every station at all times, but when Kheiron opened the door to the control room the lights were off. Darkness was all he saw. Kheiron wandered in to look around but not two steps from the doorway he saw several blinking lights around the control consoles, he immediately knew what they were, explosive charges. In an instant Captain Kheiron bolted out of the room and down the corridor, trying to outrun the blast. At this he was only semi successful. The explosion lifted him from the floor and threw him further down the corridor. The heat of the flames danced across his face, the force of the blast winding him.
Warning alarms sounded as the stations computer repeated ‘Hull breach on command deck, sealing off sector, hull breach on command deck…’. The heavy steel doors began to slid into place, trying to keep the precious atmosphere in the station, Kheiron had only just managed to slid under one as it shut off the route to the command deck. The station was under attack and right now Kheiron was alone, unsure of who or what the aggressor was and what was about to happen next. Kheiron decided his next step should be to get to the security centre, maybe he could see something on the security cameras, or he may find some information about what’s going on.
The entire way there he didn’t see a soul, didn’t hear anything, it was like everyone had disappeared, vanished. The security centre was like the other rooms, completely empty, except for the single active console in the centre, displaying the integrity fields of the station and the security cameras. Kheiron slowly walked towards it to read the display. From the darkness in the corner of the room sprang a figure holding an E-11 directly at Kheirons face, his blaster pistol now pointed straight down the E-11s barrel. “Sir? Captain Kheiron? is-is that you?” quivered a voice from behind the blaster. “State your name and what you are doing here”
“E-Ensign Munel, Jent Munel, Scanner Operator in t-t-the Security Division s-sir”
“What’s going on around here?”
“We’re, we’re under attack”
“I can see that, by whom”
“I don’t really k-know sir”
“Tell me what you do know”
“It l-looks like an inside job, p-people are m-missing everywhere, the control deck has been taken out, I was the only one to survive out of my group, they were s-s-slaughtered, gunned d-down by Stormtroopers sir”
“Where was this?”
“In the g-g-general q-quarters sir, 2nd floor”
“Let’s go”
Ensign Munel was visibly shaken, the E-11 quivered in his hand, darting in every direction, at any little noise and more then once straight at Kheiron, his pupils were dilated, sweat covered his face. The poor man was gripped by fear, he must have seen some pretty awful things.
The way to the general quarters was just like the rest, completely empty. Kheiron was almost wishing something would jump out at him, if just to give him an identity to the aggressors.
The site at the general quarters was horrifying, Munels reaction was completely justified. His friends lay still in the room, void of life. Some still in their beds covered in blankets, never to wake up again.
Kheiron was viewing the scene for any clues when they both overheard voices from down the hall. “Quick man, find cover” Kheiron whispered to Munel and they both ducked behind some turned over bedding. The footsteps were audible now as the unknown aggressors drew closer. They were right in front of the door when Munel panicked and opened fire. He sprang from behind the bedding, spraying blaster bolts all over the place in a blind panicked rage, screaming as if the force of his voice was enough to knock his enemies to the ground. Kheiron had no choice but to start shooting as well. The shots rang out across the open expanse of the quarters. It was Stormtroopers shooting at them, Munel was right, fully armed and armoured Stormtroopers now seemed to be Kheirons enemy, something he certainly never expected in his military career.
Kheiron took down the two Troopers from behind the bedding before turning towards the sound of screaming. Munel had taken hits and was down on the floor, clutching the wounds. He was shot twice in the left leg and once in the chest. “Get up soldier, I am not about to add another name to the death list, now get up”
“I c-can’t sir, it hurts, I’m…”
“I’ll carry you if I have to but you are going to get up and come with me, do I make myself clear?”
“My, my l-leg”
“Do I make myself clear!”
“S-sir”
“Now, get up”
Kheiron pulled Munel up from the floor and slung his arm across his shoulders. They had to get off this station and warn the Empire, who knows how many enemy ‘troopers’ were about the place or why they wanted this station, Kheiron wasn’t about to die trying to figure that out. “We’re going to the shuttle bay now Ensign, there is a medical kit in each shuttle, we’ll get you patched up as we make a break for it and get to some help ok?” Kheiron reassured Munel, “Sir” came the reply.
The shuttle bay wasn’t too far, but there was no telling how many hostiles they would encounter along the way, or if there would even be a shuttle in the bay, but they really had no choice but to go on.
They hadn’t gotten far when Munel went limp and fell to the floor, eyes closed but still breathing. “We don’t need this Ensign, we don’t have the time” Kheiron said as he tried to wake up Munel, “Wake up damn you and let’s get out of here”. Munel was coming to but he was delirious, he couldn’t speak and he could barely move. “Alright fine, I’ll carry you, but you owe me Ensign, you owe me big”. Kheiron struggled to lift Munel onto his shoulders and he once more began the trek to the shuttle bay.
Kheiron made it there after quite a struggle to find the bay basically untouched. While entered the codes to open the hanger door he thought he heard noises behind him, but nothing was there. He began to walk towards the nearest shuttle when someone started yelling behind him. “Hey you, Halt!” but Kheiron didn’t even hesitate, he began to clumsily run with Munel still on his back. “Open fire, take them down!” and the blaster shots started. They were almost to the shuttle when one struck Kheiron in the back of his right leg. Munel drooped to the floor as Kheiron collapsed. “Move in, we have them”. Kheiron used his left leg to drag Munel and himself up the boarding ramp and into the shuttle. His was hit by another bolt in the right shoulder as he reached up to close the hatch. “Converge on the shuttle, don’t let him take off”. Kheiron slammed the button with his head and the shuttles hatch closed, then scrambled for the pilots seat and the controls. Kheiron slumped into the chair and activated the shuttle, trying to fly the thing with one hand and leg. He slowly piloted it out of the hanger as the hostile troopers lay shots all over the shuttle, their shots bouncing off the shields. He began setting course for the closest Imperial installation while trying to evade the newly arrived TIE fighters who just closed into range. The shuttle was hit three times in quick succession and the TIEs dropped back for their final run on the shuttle. Just seconds before they fired hyperspace engaged and they were safe, for now. Kheiron basically fell out of the chair and crawled over to Munel, now in real bad shape, and tried his best to stabilize him. After some basic first aid on Munel and himself Kheiron blanked out, the darkness filled up his vision and he drifted off.
The next thing Kheiron knew was waking up in an infirmary, hooked up to a few monitoring systems. He attempted to get up but was layed back down by the forceful hands of a nurse. Minutes later an Imperial Officer was escorted to his bed. “Greetings Captain Kheiron, I’m Commander Evans, Commander of this installation, I’m pleased to see you awake”
“Ensign Munel, where is he”
“I’m sorry son, he didn’t make it, he was found dead on the shuttle where we found you, the shot to the chest severed his arteries and he bled to death pretty quick”
Kheiron remained silent.
“We fixed you up as best we could and stuck you in a bacta tank for a bit, you should be good as new in just a tick. Also, your station, that problem is solved, when your shuttle showed up and no-one responded to our hails we investigated the shuttles origins and track it back to your station, when we sent in an investigation team we found a few hostiles which we quickly dispatched. Your station is badly damaged but still intact”
Kheiron still lay silent
“You won’t be going back to the station in any case”
“Why?” Kheiron finally said.
“You’ve been given some R&R, back on your homeplanet, Naboo, along with a medal, for bravery in the face of overwhelming danger I believe, you can check out the details later, but for now you need rest, I’ll wake you when we are ready for you’re departure, I’m truly sorry about your friend”
“He wasn’t a friend”
With that the commander left.
Kheiron spent the next day in the infirmary, trying to work out his injured shoulder and leg. Once he proved he was back to perfect health he was escorted to the shuttle which would take him home. Kheiron had his hand firmly on his blaster when he walked into the hanger to see four Stormtroopers waiting by the shuttle. He consciously had to make the effort to let go. It may take a while for him to get over the incidents at the station, but now he had plenty of time.

The sight of Naboo from space was indescribably beautiful, a magnificent sphere which he calls home, he never knew how much he missed it till now. He was filled with a sense of urgency to land, he could barely wait to set foot back on Nubian soil.

The mist hangs low over the lakes and the water gently lapps against the wood of the deck. The building stands solitary amoung the fields and lakes as the moon gently casts it's soft glow across the gently lapping water. A flock of Pecko swoops low over the lake before raising gracefully through the clear moon light, circling for a moment they surveyed the peaceful scene before diving once more across the clear waters of the lakes and sweeping away on the cool evening breeze. The call of a herd of Shaak echos from the mountains and a number of small birds race from their hidding place, their quiet slumber infinity disturbed by the low droning call.

A solitary building stands surrounded by the lakes and the fields, a humble wooden building silently nestled amoung the surroundings. Not a lavish building by any standards but a certain air of comfort about it, a feeling of home. A gentle breeze drifts across the lake, gently ruffling the water and brushing it against the solid frame of the house, the water makes a gently noise which is almost lost in the quiet surroundings.

The door on the porch of the house creaks open and a young woman walks out, she is sparsely dressed in a slight silk slip and her flame red, long hair rufles slightly in the breeze, barefoot she gingerly makes her way along the porch and stops at the end and stares out at the moon light. She has a mug in her hand, the steam of fresh Java quickly escapes from the cup and she gently cups her hands around the mug and takes a sip. Her silk gown drifts gently in the breeze as she watches the moon light dancing gayly on the ripples on the water. She pauses thoughtfully for a moment before she takes another sip from her refreshment. She gently rubs her chest with her finger as she slips into the large chair behind her and gingerly rests the container on the table beside her.

The night is cool and the breeze is refreshing, her silk slip is light and the breeze penetrating it's fibres are refreshing in the night, but still she is uncomfortable. Today was very hot and she still fells sticky even as she is gently cooled by the breeze. Her mind wanders as she sits in solice. She is uncomfortable but it is not because of the heat or even the breeze, she is uncomfortable because she is alone. She does not like solitude it brings back painful memories from her past, of her childhood as a slave. The hours spent alone in the tiny cell, little food, no water only the ground to sleep on. And now she was alone again!

But at least she was home, this quiet little cottage held many happy memories for her, before the dark times. She remembered her brother and herself happily playing in the fields while her adopted mother and father watched over them. A few times her real father had visited and she was excited for days before and after his arrival, he first introduced her to the force and told her stories about how he had met her mother in front of the fire before he tucked her into bed.

And then Vader came! She shuddered as she remembered that night, remembered the house in flames, remembered the still warm bodies of her adopted mother and father and remembered the anger as she fleed in terror. A single tear slowly made it's way down her cheek and dropped gently onto her slip. She quietly lifted her cup from the table and took another sip. She gently put the cup back on the table and stood up and drifted over to the hand rail that ran around the deck, broken only in once place to allow boarding of a small row boat.

She stood staring out at the water for a short epoch and then slipped her garment from her shoulders. The slip made no noise as it gently landed on the deck. The moon light high lighting the lines on her body and her skin shone slightly in the ambient light. She stood for a moment as she felt the wind against her naked body, she allowed the gentle breeze to cool her hot skin. Gently she reached up and cupped her hands around her fiery red hair, ruffling her hair she shook her head in the breeze. Pausing a few moments she took one last look around and then gracefully dived into the water in front of the house.

Her body breaking the water disturbed the gentle peace of the surrounding area. Birds ruffled by the sudden noise hastily evacuated their hiding places. After a few moments silence returned to the area, only the gentle lapping of the water could be heard. Another short epoch passed and she broke the surface and breathed deep of the cool air. She revealed in the cool water against her body and slowly, casually swam to no where in particular just enjoying the cool of the water. Turning onto her back she let her long red hair float in the water as she gently drifted along with the gentle waves. Slowly drifting she let her worries leave her, she forgot about the Empire and the Rebellion, of Vader and her parents, she was alone with her thoughts. Quietly she closed her eyes and meditated, meditated the way her father had taught her, she silenced her mind and reached out with the force, she reached out to all the living creatures around her, until she could feel each animal, from the rapid heartbeat of the birds to the slow laboured breathing of the massive Shaak who were drifting off to a slumber of their own. There she stayed quietly resting on her back as she floated aimlessly through the lake, the gentle breeze teasing across her bare skin as she meditated and felt the world around her.

"I've been away for too long!" she quiped as she eventually opened her eyes. Realising it was getting late she swam back to the deck and pulled herself out of the water. The water dripped off her cool body as she retrieved her slip and cup and then casually made her way down the deck and slipped back in the doorway, securing it behind her. Once inside she retreived a towel and placed it in front of the large hearth in the center of the room, a wild fire raged in the hearth, wild and red like her hair. Using the towel she roughly dried her hair and the placed the towel out on the floor. There she lay herself and gently she feel asleep, warmed by the blazing fire.

With the landing and pleasantries with the local officers taken care off Captain Kheiron was free to get some serious resting and relaxing done. The only problem was Kheiron didn’t really know how. He was at his most relaxed when on the job, but he was basically ordered to take some time off and he really did want to spend some time in the comforts of home. Being on a desolate space station really makes you appreciate home. He wandered around his large, two story house, trying to think up a way to get relaxed, trying to think of something to do, but he came up empty. He walked around the lounge room, circling the couch and pacing in front of the recliner, still debating the ideas in his head, whether he should take a trip around the local area, if he wanted to go se the sights, or if he wanted to find the nearest pub and get smashed for the first time in seven years but none of the ideas greatly interested him. From there he went into the bedroom, the large decorative rug covering most of the floor, the desk, cluttered with note and documents, in the corner near the door, the small weapon cases with his favoured weapons, and most noticeable of all, the large king sized bed at the end of the room. Then he decided on the best course of action, he hadn’t been to sleep for quite a while and right now he could really go for a quick snooze. He walked up to the bed and pulled back the blankets so he could slip between the black satin sheets, though regardless of how much he wanted to get to sleep, he could not. When he closed his eyes even the smallest sound alerted him, he kept thinking about the Stormtroopers who at this very moment guarded his home and the Stormtroopers who tried to kill him on the station. Right now he didn’t feel comfortable enough to fall asleep in his own house.
Kheiron decided to do a few things that needed to be done around the house, like a general clean up for instance, its been quite a while since he has spent time here and most surfaces were covered in dust, plus all his weapons were probably in need of a good cleaning. So it was decided, time for Kheiron to don his working gear and get to scrubbing.
Kheiron started by clearing up his desk and sorting out the numerous pages that littered its surface. There was an awful lot of junk there and over half of it all was thrown in the bin, though Kheiron did find some pages of prior information which brought back some memories. Next on the list was cleaning the weapons in the bedroom cases. These cases held Kheirons preferred and most used weapons, namely the T21 Rifle and curved sword, along with a standard E-11 Imperial carbine and two Power5 pistols. The sword only needed a quick wipe down, and the carbine and rifle just needed a minor cleaning but the Power5 pistols were pretty well clogged up. Kheiron had to pull them apart to give each component a thorough cleaning. After the cleaning was done Kheiron re-assembled the Power5s and reloaded all the blasters, then set them back into their cases.
From there Kheiron went to the kitchen on the second floor. It wasn’t to bad, but he did find some wicked fungus growth and serious out of date products in the fridge, not to mention some frozen fish in the freezer that’s been sitting there for three years. After that unpleasant business was taken care of Kheiron was sick of cleaning, “Next time, I hire a maid” he remarked.
Once more lost for something to do Kheiron strolled around to the back of the house, past two of the guarding Stormtroopers. There he found an AT-ST, currently unmanned, and his old Imperial Speeders which he purchased from the Imperial Army. They were destined for the scrap heap but with a bit of effort and more then a few new parts he managed to get both working at the top level again. He reminisced about the days when he was fixing them up and the first ride he took after the first one once more roared to life. It was as good an idea as any, Kheiron was going for a ride across the plains.
After strapping the sword and T21 to his back, and packing some food into the speeder bikes saddlebags he put his leg over the bike and started her up. It sounded less then great, but it was at least going and that’s all that mattered at the moment. After a few initial sputters and such the bike was going well, and Kheiron sped away from the house towards the open Naboo plains

The sun rose silently the next morning and the creatures of the lake awoke with the first light. The area soon rang with the calls of various birds and creatures as the day started anew. The light of the sun penetrated the house and the warmth soon woke Ariane from her resting place in front of the fireplace.

The last embers of the fire were slowly dying as she opened her eyes, slowly she pulled herself off the floor and slipped into her silk gown. She gazed around the house for a few moments and then proceeded into the small kitchenette.

On the counter of the kitchen was a small bottle with a number of pills, she picked it up for a second and gazed at it for a few moments, a grimace of pain crossed her face as she gently rubbed her breast bone, a small, fresh scar was visible on her breat bone. A recent injury Ariane contemplated the situation that had resulted in the injury, the day Vader had re-entered her life. She remembered the pain as Vader's blade had pierced her back, the blade had split her heart and errupted through her breast bone. She remembered a slight giddy thrill as she saw the blade and then it all went black. Next she knew she was awoken on board the Dark Hunter, hearing of her plight R5 had rushed to her aid bringing 1-5A, her medical droid, with him. 5A was unable to save her heart so had surgically replaced it with a cybernetic organ instead.

While the operation had saved her life it had left her weakened greatly, at least until her body had fully accepted the new organ, to this end 5A had given her these immuno suppressors to help her body and heart join but he had also advised strict be rest. So after a short trip to Ossus where she had been reunited with her father and created a new lightsaber for herself Elodin, her Padwan, had brought her here to rest. This humble building in the lake district had been her home when she was a child, she had a few years of happiness here, with her adopted parents and Elodin, her adopted brother. Elodin had always said that the lakes were the only place that seemed to temper her fiery temper.

Ariane pured herself a drink and swallowed down one of the pills from the container then returned the container to the counter and went upstairs. A few minutes later she returned to the ground floor wearing a black skirt and low cut, strapless top. She paused at the base of the stairs for a moment as she pulled on her knee length black boots. Grabbing a pair of dark glasses she silently slipped out the front door and gently put on the glasses as she stepped into the warm bright day outside.

A short distance away from the house a speeder bike sat, a modified imperial speeder the front stabiliser had been shortened somewhat and the single underslung blaster replaced with double blasters instead. Straddling the speeder she quickly gunned the engine to life and then roared off into the day.

Riding around on his slightly non-regulation speeder bike was a little more challenging then he remembered. For starters the flight ceiling of the bike randomly changed between one metre and ground level, which resulted in Kheiron taking three ‘unassisted’ flights. The steering wasn’t to crash hot either, ranging from non responsive to over responsive without reason, this resulted in the two other ‘unassisted’ flights. All in all though the ride was quite enjoyable, despite the minor upsets.
Kheiron soon decided to halt the bike and do a little target practice, so with the aid of several large shrubs he managed to set the bike down without to much trouble. The nearest tree seemed as good a target as any so Kheiron took the T21 from his back and went prone. After shooting a few branches off the tree Kheiron was soon bored of that activity as well. “May as well go home, this whole rest and relaxation thing is as boring as a Gungan talent show, one last zip around on the bike though, maybe I’ll get lucky and knock myself unconscious” He remarked to himself. It took five minutes and a few swift kicks to get the speeder bike going again and Kheiron was once more racing across Naboo, albeit a little wobbly.

A short time latter and Ariane was astride a Tusk cat riding quietly through the rolling plains, the cat was one of about a doozen kept by and old family friend who owned a ranch about 30 minutes from her home. The sun shone down brightly on the rolling plains and the warmth was welcome after her extended time in space, with Black Nova. As the massive cat gently trotted it's was through the grass and foilage, Ariane took time to take in the surrounding scenary and enjoy the open air.

"It has been too long!" she sighed as she took another deep breath and let the fresh air fill her lungs.

Her chest pained her slightly and she rubbed her breast bone with a sorrowfull look on her face, it pained her how weak her heart was and how easily her chest pained her.

Her mount was becoming a little uneasy and Ariane could not see why, she glanced around quickly but could not see anything, although she could hear a noise like distant thunder, deciding it would be better to be back at the ranch than out in the open when the thunder came she started to turn her mount around. And then she saw them........

A herd of Ikopi came charging straight at her and her mount, Ariane's mount was immediatly paniked and started to run as fast as it could away from the carrering Ikopi. Ariane's heart raced as her mount tried his utmost to get clear of the barraging beasts and Ariane fought desperatly to bring him under control, but her weakened heart could not take the pressure and, although she was a fairly confident rider, the pain in her chest was quickly overwhelming and she clutched her chest in pain. Eventually the pain was too much and she slumped forward on her mount, as he charged, terrified on a reckless course, away from the trampling herd behind him.

Her mount charged on and Ariane, barely concious due to the intense pain, hung on to the reigns with all her strength for she knew if she was to fall from her mount that she would be trampled by the frenzied beasts behind her.

Kheiron finally decided he'd had enough of the damn speeder bike, that it was time to turn around and go home before the bike gave out on him when he heard a strange noise. Kheiron moved his ear closer to the speeder bike but the noise didn't seem to be coming from the bike, it sounded like it was coming from behind him. Sure enough, Kheiron found the source of the noise, it seems a herd of Ikopi decided to stampede today. Kheiron watched with mild awe as the beast run full pelt, it looked like a writhing brown mass sweeping across the plains, but Kheiron soon noticed something out of the ordinary, it looked like the herd was chasing something down. Intrigued, Kheiron edged the bike in closer and thats when it hit him like a hammer to the head, there was some poor soul on a tusk cat out in front of the herd, and by the looks of it they went coping to well.
Kheiron gunned the speeder bike and flew towards the stricken tusk cat rider, the herd of Ikopi now basically on top of the panicked cat. Kheiron tried his best to pull up beside the beast but with the charging herd and the cats random movements it was more then difficult. With a last ditch effort Kheiron swung to bike towards the tusk cat and grabbed at the rider, pulling her across the back of the bike. Wasting no time Kheiron veered out of the herds path and away to safety. He looked back just in time to see the poor tusk cat being reefed under the trampling feet of the many Ikopi.
Stopping the bike a safe distance away and behind the herd, Kheiron took the rider from the back of the bike and sat her on the ground. She seemed to only be a little short of breath, so Kheiron left her alone for a bit, so she could 'compose' herself. It was really only at that time that Kheiron realized who he just saved, he just saved the personification of Aphrodite, that is if the goddess of love had hair the colour of the fires of hell, and to think of it, this woman was the only person Kheiron could remember that has brighter red hair then him. Kheiron found himself mentally undressing her before he was snapped back to reality as she started to get up. "May is ask of your name, miss?" Kheiron asked her, and it looked as if she was going to answer but she became light headed and fell back to the ground, "Ok, nevermind the intro, lets get you home". Kheiron helped her back onto the bike, and started for home.

When Kheiron made it back to his house he found that the unknown woman was asleep, quitely breathing with her head nestled against Kheiron's chest. "Works for me" Kheiron mumbled as he carefully shifted off the speeder bike and lifted the woman into his arms. After getting a nod from one guard and a thumbs up from another, Kheiron carried her up the steps and into his bedroom. There he laid her down on the bed, covered her with a light sheet and went to speak to the guards. He informed the closest Stormtrooper that if the woman wants to leave she is not to be stopped, regardless. After fetching a bowl of fruit and a pitcher of water Kheiron returned to the bedroom. He placed the two items on the bedside table, grabbed a book and pulled up a chair, then waited for the woman to awaken.

Her senses started to return as she started to wake, although her eyes were still closed. The pain in her chest had subsided and she was able to breath normally again. Only a faint memory of her pain remained but that was enough to make her uncomfortable. Something was wrong, she was lying on something soft, not hard which meant she was not on the ground, and she could not feel the gentle breeze that had being blowing through the plains as she rode, so where was she. Slowly she moved her hand down and checked herself, she was still dressed which relieved her somewhat, and she was covered by a light sheet.

Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around the room. The room was well decorated the walls were a warm wine and the bed was a lavish four post with silk sheets. This was the room of a well cared for individual. Slowly she sat up in the bed and she noticed a man sitting on a chair to the side of the bed, he sat quietly reading a book on his lap. Ariane stopped for a moment when she noticed him, his hair was fiery red, like her own just a slight shade lighter and he wore it tied up, very neatly. He was smartly dressed in a black, loose fit shirt and a pair of black slacks, his shirt was slightly open and she could see a hint of his bare chest underneath, as she shifted in the bed he spoke, without looking up from his book.

"Glad to see you're awake, there's water and some fruit beside you if you want it"

As he finished speaking he looked up from his book at her and she caught a better view of him, he was strikingly attractive, with strong defined facial features and a look of kind determination about him. His hazel/green eyes meet hers and she was lost in a sea that was his eyes. For a moment she was lost her mind a wash with thoughts, her heart fluttered and this time it did not hurt. Eventually she managed to blurt out a reply.

"Do you mind sir if a lady enquires as to who you are?"

"So long as I get your name as well" he replied with a cheeky smile.

"My name is Katie Ruana sir and now I'm afraid you have me at a slight disadvantage!" she replied blushing slightly, she could feel her face glowing, her heart pounded as she awaited his name, the anticipation was almost unbearable.

"And I'm Nyran, however I fail to see any disadvantage in this situtation," He smiles " especially under such circumstances, do you remember much of the last hour?"
Leaning forward her took her hand in his and gently kissed it, her heart was a flutter again she blushed, but she could not belived it, she was a well trained and combat hardened Jedi Knight she was not suppose to fall all a flutter like "Its nice to meet you Katie" Nyran continued as he gently released her hand.

"Not much I'm afraid" she replied slightly sheepishly, "I remember taking one of my father's tusk cats out for a ride......... and something about a stampede but that's it really.......I must have blacked out!"

"That you did, you're lucky I was around or else you might of shared the same fate as your mount, which, I'm afraid, didn't fair to well"

"My father will be upset, but glad that I am safe. I guess I owe you a debt of gratitude. Nyran" she smiles at him and slowly sits up in the bed

Nyran quickly moves to help her up in the bed, with a haste akin of a future father helping his pregnant wife. "Steady now, you've gone through a rather trying ordeal"

"Yes thank you. My father warned me about going out, he said I was still too weak but I'm afraid I'm very headstrong and insisted I'd be ok!"

"Mistakes can be made, I even made one myself once," he smiles again at her she can feel her cheeks burn as he does so, " would you like anything, something a little stronger then water maybe?" Nyran asks moving off the chair to get whatever she may desire.

"No thank you water is fine for the moment. Not to be rude but where am I. I'm pretty sure this is not father's ranch!"

"No, the only animals kept around here are the guards. This is my humble residence, we're quite near the Plains, if you wish I can take you home, provided you point the way"

Taking a moment to consider his proposal, Ariane paused as she looked at him, now standing beside the chair, his clothes well accented his body form, a well shaped man he was neither to tall nor too stocky, he was about her height and while not overly proportioned he obviously kept himself in good shape. He did not seem to be making any threatening remarks towards her and had asked her if she wanted to leave, and there was something about him that seemed to make her heart skip a beat, so although it would be a wiser decision to head home and rest, it would be rude to shun his hospitality after he had saved her life.

Flashing him a warm and sultry smile and gazing longingly into his deep,green, eyes she purs "No rush. I'm still a bit weak and would like to rest a bit before making the trip home, how about showing me around this lovely home of yours instead?"

Nyran walks over and offers her his arm, "I'd be honoured, this way dear lady"

Kheiron was now pleased with the way his day had turned out, earlier he was scrubbing the kitchen counter, a while after that he was spitting out grass after being thrown off his bike, but now he had a beautiful lady in his arm, escorting her around his house. Kheiron thought this R&R time might just turn out to be a good thing. So, with Katie on his arm Kheiron began the ‘Grand Tour’ of his Naboo residence.
The first room to show off may as well be the room they are both currently in, his bedroom. There was the usual bed, closets and desk in the room, but apart from that the only other items were the display cases, which Katie took particular interest in. Kheiron was not really surprised, even the most ignorant of people could tell these were fine weapons in the cases, and Katie being the daughter of a ranch owner, she no doubt knew a fair bit about blasters.
From there the tour continued to the open air walkway at the front of the house, via a small corridor. On a planet as beautiful as Naboo you can’t help but want to enjoy the scenery, and much of the house accommodated accordingly, for instance the entire dinning area was set on the roof of the first floor, so meals could be enjoyed by moonlight.
Once they stepped out on the walkway the two patrolling guards turned to salute, but were waved aside by Kheiron so they continued their watch. They went to the centre of the walkway and turned to take in the view. “The view is beautiful from here, the sun sets just over that ridge, and for the whole day you can see the Naboo Plains” Kheiron said as he indicated the ridge with his hand, however Katie seemed more interested in looking at something else. Kheiron could tell she was watching him but whenever he would look at her she would divert her eyes to the horizon as if she had been looking there the whole time, so whenever she would look back Kheiron would do the same. It turned into a small game of stealing glances until Kheiron faked a glance and caught her looking straight at him. He instantly noticed her eyes, a shining blue, like sapphires in the star light. They were so bright and clear that Kheiron could see his reflection perfectly in them. He was snapped out of his dumb staring when Katie showed her smile and giggled slightly. Clearing his throat Kheiron asked “Shall we continue?” and once Katie re-took his arm he crossed the walkway and restarted the tour.
After showing her every room of the house Kheiron took Katie to the lounge room. Katie was immediately drawn to the centre piece of the room, a wall sized display case full of various melee weapons, ranging from bladed staffs to wood handled axes. “I’m starting to think you’re a dangerous man Nyran, this display is rather impressive” Katie exclaimed while checking out each individual weapon, “I’m more of a lover then a fighter” Kheiron replied with a smile, “And thankyou, it took me ages to collect all these weapons, all perfectly crafted and in perfect condition, certainly lights up the room, much like yourself”, “You certainly know how to flatter a girl” was the received reply.
After answering a few questions Katie had about the weapons Kheiron asked “Can I get you something to drink, I’ve plenty on offer, ranging from Nectar Blend to this weird home-made stuff I got off a friend which is best used as paint thinner”. “Thankyou” Katie said, “I would like a drink, I’m feeling much better, but I can’t decide whether that’s due to this lovely house or the company”. “I’d say a bit of both” Kheiron called as he disappeared behind a corner, shortly re-appearing with a glass of Corellian Brandy in each hand. He was eager to see if Katie would take the hard drink or ask for something a little less potent, however she accepted the brandy with a small thankyou.
Trying to think of something to continue the conversation Kheiron asked “The weathers beautiful today, it would be a shame to waste it by staying inside, care to join me on the roof?”
“I’d love to but would you I be allowed to wash up a bit first, I swear I have half the Naboo Plains in my hair” Katie said with a smile
“Not quite half” Kheiron replied, “You’re welcome to use the shower if you wish, you now know where the bathroom is and everything you need should be visible, and the door locks I assure you”
“Thankyou, you certainly are a gracious host”
Once Katie had left the room Kheiron sat down in his recliner and enjoyed the rest of his brandy.

Ariane/Katie quietly made her way down the hallway towards the bathroom, her mind was a wash with thoughts and feelings. She was a little preturbed by the storm troopers guarding the house, but assured herself that aslong as her cover story held up she should be ok. Nyran seemed a little troubled by their pressence also and kept them on a short lease, in their travels around the house she did not meet any troopers in the house only spied them in the grounds. This reassured her for in her current state of health, and without her lightsaber, she would be no match for the small garrison in place.

As she travelled she found her mind easily drifting back to Nyran and it quickly brought a smile to her face. He was a strange man, he seemed very kind hearted, at least to her, but had a very tight control on the troops around his house. They responded to him as if they feared him somewhat. It had been a long time since she had felt like this with a man. Although she had only know him a short time, she felt like she knew him forever. Her mother had felt this way once, along time ago, about her father.

Ariane gasped slightly as she remembered her mothers feelings to her father. The initial response were simular, the easy conversation and the feeling of closeness that she felt in his presence. She shook her head NO this could not be possible, she was a well trained and combat expierenced Jedi Knight, she had sworn loyalty to the force and, more recently, to Elodin, her padwan. But Elodin was no longer a Padwan. He had proven that well when he saved her life on Corruscant, he had completed his training when he built his own lightsaber on Ossus, he no longer needed her guidance.

Lost in thought she missed her intended target and had to double back a couple of feet, quietly she slipped into the bathroom and secured the door. She looked at herself in the mirror with a look of bewilderment on her face.

"Maybe it's time I left this life behind?" she said to her reflection, "Maybe I should consider settling down, This life has already claimed one Ariane should I let it claim another?"

'Settling down!' it was not something she had ever considered before, but she had never met a man like Nyran before either. He was handsome, considerate and he obviously returned her attractions for him, she would possibly never get a chance like this again. As she pondered whethar she would allow the life of the force ruin any possible chance of a life and maybe even a family, as it had for her mother, she slipped out of her clothes and stepped into the shower. The water was refreshing and for a few moments she stood motionless , just allowing the water to run down her back. Slowly she started to wash but she could not get Nyran out of her mind, questions ran through her mind.

Did he feel the same way about her?

Is he interested in a relationship?

how often is he on Naboo? would his work keep them apart?

Still she could not believe she was having these thoughts, she had never instantly felt like this about anyone, she smiled in his company, enjoyed his conversation and was, obviously, physically attracted to him. But did he feel the same? She could see and sense that he was physically attracted to her, but was there more there?

A few minutes later she stepped out of the shower and patted herself dry. Looking down at her clothes with distain she saw they were grubby and dirty from her ride earlier. Then she noticed what must have been Nyran's robe hanging on the door. Hoping that he would not mind she slipped on the robe and gently folded away her clothes and left them on Nyran's bed. In bare feet with the robe loosely tied by the belt and her drink in one hand she made her way back to him. As she arrived on the roof he stood to greet her, he paused for a moment as he rose when he saw what she was wearing. Self conciously she held the front of the robe closed with her free hand.

"I hope you don't mind? I just didn't want to jump back into those dirty clothes after such a refreshing shower"

While Katie was in the shower Kheiron wandered around the dinning area on the roof, his mind near a complete blank. He was not sure why but no expected thoughts about Katie seemed to penetrate his mind, no ‘should I make a move’ or ‘am I an idiot’ thoughts were present, he just stared out at the world around him. This was all probably due to the numerous conflicting thoughts and emotions, which would have caused his brain to overload had it not ‘activated’ a sub-conscious auto shutdown. So the few minutes he spent alone on the roof top, he spent completely free of mental burden.
Once Katie emerged from the staircase however, all of it changed. Seeing her walking towards him, clad only in his bathrobe, flipped the switch to the floodgates holding his thoughts at bay, and everything came rushing in.
The imaginary scales of decisions appeared in Kheirons mind, and the thoughts and emotions were placed on the sides, for or against.
She was beautiful, friendly, strong willed and a joy to be around, yet he had only met her earlier this same day. Was it possible that Kheiron could have a chance with such a woman, or was his mind so confused and hopeful that he was deluding himself?
Kheiron remembered only one other time when he had felt this way, under basically the same circumstances. That time was one of the best and worst times of his life. Through the magic of that perfect woman Kheirons world became perfect, he couldn’t be happier, he couldn’t want for more, but like they say, what goes up must come down, and when it did so, it left deep, painful scars all across Kheirons heart. The first year after that was pure emotional hell, the second year scarcely better.
Was Kheiron willing to risk history repeating itself, could he open up once more, to this woman standing before him? He wished he could. At this moment, the scales remained balanced.
“Um, no, I don’t mind, don’t mind at all” Kheiron fumbled out when he heard Katie speak, and after that his mind once more blocked out all of the conflicting thoughts. He was once more free of mental burden and could conduct himself before Katie without troublesome ‘what ifs’ and negative thinking. He really wished he knew how his mind did that.

The Naboo sun gently warmed the two as they chatted idly. The day passed quickly and neither Nyran nor Ariane noticed that the sun was starting to set when Ariane started to feel a slight chill. Surprised when she looked around and saw the blood red sky of another georgeous sunset. Ariane stood up from her seat and stood at the railing as she looked out at the skyline and she gasped slightly at the breath taking beauty of it. A slight wind blew and she felt a chil, she shivered slightly as Nyran stood in behind her. He put his arms around her and pulled her close to him, instinctively she did not struggle, it just seemed right. His arms felt warm and the protection he offered reassured her. Her mind was swiming but was it him or the Correlian brandy?

Held close by his arms she gazed out at the rolling plains and the sunset.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" she whispered to him.

"Not before today!" he responded gently.

She turned to face him, to find he was gazing longingly at her and not at the sunset. She stopped as she was once again lost in the sea that was his eyes. Her breathing faltered and she went weak at the kness. She could feel his warm breath against her and could feel his chest heave as he held her close. For a moment she was lost and could think of nothing to say so she decided not to, she was lost for a moment as his warm breath caressed her neck and rolled gently down her chest, in contrast the slight chil of the evening breeze billowed gently through the bath robe, the expierence of hot and cold was tingling and she shivered slightly. For a few moments they stood there, saying nothing just staring at each other. Ariane wanted to speak wanted to say something but the words to show her feelings failed her at this point so she surrendered herself, she lifted herelf up onto her toes and their lips met. The passion that had built between them during the afternoon and evenings conversation suddenly had a release and they both surrendered to their passions.

Lost in the moment the cold was suddenly of no consenquence to either of them as passion consumed them both. As they kissed the two edged closer to the chairs that they had occupied a few moments earlier. With one definate motion Nyran lifted Ariane up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Over the course of the rest of the evening/night they made their way back to Nyran's bedroom, however, the trip took almost two hours to complete as the two lovers were completely lost in one another. Once back in his bed and between the silk sheets they gave themselves completely to one another. The feeling of silk against her skin was more of an aprodisac than she could ever had guessed. Her doubts and worries were no longer as she gave herself fully to him and he gave fully to her. Hours later, exhausted, they slept, Nyran craddling Ariane warmly in his arms.

The sun rose slowly over the Naboo plains the next morning. Ariane was the first of the two to wake, she awoke as the first cracks of sunlight started to gently penetrate Nyran's room. She was troubled, her mind was a maze of problems and of thoughts. Could she really get involved in a relationship, would her lifestyle allow her too. Even if she left the rebelion the empire would never stop hunting her. Vader knew of her existence now and she knew he would be relentless in pursing her, and Elodin. Naboo offered some little solice, the relative isolation of their country retreat and the troubled presence that the death of Darth Maul had brought to the force on this planet would not act as a sufficient cover for long. If she was to remain hidden then she could not be seen on the arm of a Naboo dignatary it would make her too public.

And what of Nyran, she could not ask him to give up his life for her. He had a career on Naboo, a career that offered him travel and public respect, she could not in all honesty ask him to give that up. It would not be fair on him to make him choose between her and his career, he was obviously very happy in what he did.

And what of that disturbance in the force that she had felt shortly after arriving on Naboo, the disturbance that had awoken her on the Legacy soon after they had touched down, the same disturbance that she had felt on Corruscant, not Vader, but something else. Something, or someone, touched by his influence. Could his apprentices have tracked them down already? The Dark side was strong and anything was possible for Vader and his master. In some ways she counted herself lucky that it was not Vader himself tracking them down, but she had heard on the holonet that he was obsessed with the capture of someone called Skywalker. The name had rang in her mind for her mother had mentioned his name to her also, told her that Vader was not her concern but that she should be mindful of his servants otherwise they could be her undoing.

Her mind made up she slipped quielty out of bed. For a moment she stood silently at the side of the bed watching Nyran sleep. She gently leant down and kissed him gently but passionatly.

"I am sorry my love" she whispered, "but I can not drag you into my world!"

A single tear ran down her cheek and she silently turned and slipped out of the room.

Making her way to the bathroom she retrieved her clothes and dressed herself as she moved through the rest of the house, finally closing her top as she emerged into the rising day onto the plains. A solitary stormtrooper acknowledged her with a nod as she slipped down the path and out again towards the ranch. It would possibly take a few hours to get back to the ranch but with luck she may be able to exercise her use of the force for a slight speed enhancement.

The Naboo sun now penetrated Kheiron’s room and shone brightly on his face, causing him enough discomfort to rouse him from sleep. Slowly he rolled over and extended his hand, expecting to find Katie lying beside him. She was no-where to be found. Somewhat confused and worried Kheiron slipped out of bed and searched the house. Katie’s clothes were gone, all evidence of her visit erased. This wasn’t right, she would not have just walked away, she wouldn’t have done that to him, she couldn’t have done it, but when Kheiron checked with the guards he found it was true. She slipped out before he woke, and vanished under the morning sun.
Defeated and broken, Kheiron walked back inside.

Kheiron should have seen it coming, he should have known from experience. If he cared for someone they were destined to leave him, it was how it went. Now full of a mix of anger, sadness, frustration and pain Kheiron tried to continue with the day.

He went to the kitchen on the second floor and tried to fix himself something to eat, but as he opened the fridge he lost it and let his anger fill him. He slammed the door shut, then proceeded to attack it with all his force. He hammered into it constantly till his body would not let him continue, tears from the pain in his hands, legs and heart streamed down his face. The front of the fridge was now turned inside out, innumerable dents littered its surface along with streaks of red blood and salty tears. Exhausted, Kheiron sat down against the fridge, using a cloth to clean the blood from his hands. He sat there, by the busted up fridge until he managed to calm himself down enough to think straight again. Katie was gone, he was alone, he thought she liked him, he was wrong, no big deal. But he knew it was. So in an effort to quiet the emotions and thoughts blasting away inside him he went down to the basement, to work out what he felt on the training equipment kept there.

Ariane wandered the house aimlessly for the rest of the day. She could not keep her concentration on anything, her mind would drift back to Nyran. And yet she knew she was right, she could not drag him into her world. It would mean the end of any life that he had made for himself, and no matter how much she would want to she could not just leave her life behind. It would find her, chase her, and eventually swallow her up again, only this time it would possibly take him aswell. She could not let that happen.

And yet she pondered, pondered the life they could have together. Pondered the future that they might share, the happiness that they might have. It was crazy, she barely knew him a day and she was already having these thoughts, and yet, she had never instantly felt comfortable with anybody like she did with him before. Nobody except for Elodin, but that was different, he was her brother, adopted at least. Still, they had shared that kiss on the Malevolence just before they arrived on Corruscant but nothing had come of it. She brushed the thought away, off course she felt comfortable with Elodin, she had grown up with him, shared baths as children and gone swiming in the lake together. When you are isolated from the rest of civilisation out in the lake district, of course they would be close.

She took her medicine from the counter and swallowed down another pill. Her heart was getting stronger and not many tablets were left to take. Her heart felt less vunerable today, perhaps it was the light jog she had enjoyed back to her bike this morning or perhaps it was something else but she felt slightly stronger today than yesterday. Yet still her heart ached but this time it was not physical pain.

The small computer system in the corner beeped once, to indicate a new message. Dragging herself from her depression she proceeded to the lounge to take a look. The message was from Terek Kasurh, a well known diplomat who had managed to retain the majority of his influence when the imperials had raided Naboo, he was holding a small function in his estate on the outskirts of Theed and she was invited.

Kasurh's father was a close friend to the royal family when Ariane's mother was adopted by them, he was one of the few people who know Ariane's full history - who her mother was and her links to the royal line on Naboo.

The invitation offered her a room to change in the residence and security for whatever belongings she would like to bring. Also included was the strictest assurance that no guests would be armed, however she was free to bring a weapon if so required.

Ariane immediatly reached for the decline button but her hand paused over the keyboard. It had been such a long time since she was at a social outting and it may give her the distraction she needed to get Nyran out of her head.

"Time to brush up those social skills my mother was taught as a child!" she smiled as she confirmed her attendance. She checked the crono on the wall, she had about 6 hours before she would have to leave.

Time for a swim she thought as she gently removed her top. Her skirt fell to the floor as she passed the kitchen and she left her boots on the patio at the back of the house as she dived into the refreshingly clear water.

After an hour or so working out on the equipment Kheiron returned to his bedroom to relax. On his way past the desk he noticed the comp display showed that a new message was received. He wasn't really in any mode to check his mail so Kheiron ignored it and continued on. He had a shower, got changed and had something to eat before he decided to check out the message.
It was from the local Imperial garrison, they had a small task for him. A diplomat called Terek Kasurh was holding a little function of some sort on his estate. In a deal with the local authorities he managed to avoid having Imperial troopers interfering provided he allowed an Imperial Officer to attend. Kheirons task was to attend the function in civilian clothing and generally keep an eye on things, making sure nothing against the Empires interests took place. The message went on to say ‘It should prove to be a fun night, it may help you to relax…’.
Kheiron was hesitant to accept, he didn’t really feel like going to some shindig, but since his superiors requested it, and so nicely, he decided he would go.
The function was to begin a few hours from now so Kheiron continued about his daily life and slowly got ready.

A few hours later and Ariane had enjoyed a relaxing swim and spent some time on the porch watching the world go by, and yet she still could not get Nyran out of her mind. Still the time was past and it was quickly approaching time to get ready for the party, although she was in no way going to get changed into something formal and then ride her speeder into Theed, by the time she would get there what ever she was wearing would be ruined. She decided instead to pack a few things to bring with her and get changed just before the party, after she had a shower.

She quickly darted upstairs and pulled on one of her black jump suits and grabbed a hold all bag from the cupboard. She quickly packed away some esentials, hair brush, a bit of makeup and gently folded away her dress into the bag. She paused for a moment to look at the dress, it was the same dress her mother had worn a few days before she died. It had been well cared for and still looked as extravagent as it did then. Gently she folded the dress and placed it in the bag. She spotted her lightsaber on the bed. Her new lightsaber, the one she had only just constructed on Ossus with Elodin and her father before coming to Naboo. The metal hilt seemed to call to her and the metal glimmered sliightly in the sun light breaking through the window.

She picked it up for a moment and held it in her hand, with a snap and a his the blade ignited and she gazed at the glowing red blade for a moment. Then the other blade ignited and another blade shot out from the opposite end of the hilt yet she had not move her hands. Ariane had made no visible controls on the hilt, instead the acticators were inside the hilt and could only be actived with the force, this made the weapon more personal for her and less likely for someone else to activate it accidently. She held the double blade for a few moments and then snapped both blades off before quickly stuffing the hilt into her hold all.

Quickly she made her way down the stairs and proceeded to Theed on her speeder.

Kheiron laid out the clothes he was to wear on the bed. They followed the same general 'look' that Kheiron always seemed to wear if allowed, with a touch more formality to them. He laid out a long sleeved loose black shirt with its lower equivilent and some good casual black shoes to finish it off. Since no other Imperial personnel were suppose to be at this function Kheiron decided to leave his hair showing, done up in a braid, just the way he preferred it. After setting his outfit down at the end of the bed Kheiron went to the Stormtrooper at his front door and request a vehicle to convey him to the function. Once he was assured it would arrive on time he returned to his bedroom and began to change. Just as he finished getting ready he heard the Landspeeder pull up in front of the house, so finishing off with a quick dash of cologne he left for the function, complete unarmed, dispite his earlier orders. After thanking the Stortrooper for getting the ride here os quickly he jumped into the back and started the short trek to Terek Kasurh's little gathering.

Ariane arrived at the residence some two hours before the party. She pulled her speeder around the side and was quickly ushered into a storage area where she was assured the bike would be quite safe. The house was a modest affair, for a politician, only two stores still it had quite a foot print measuring a couple of hundred meters in each direction. No where however was the vaulted columns or the large extravagent balconies or ornamental gardens that many other politicians used to show their wealth. Terek's house was the same as all around him just on a larger scale, and off course the security. No body of Terek's influence in these times could be without a security detail, although the guards were sublime in their appearance and would easily be glanced over by a passer by or even by a guest.

As Ariane made her way up the front steps a ageing man made his way down the steps arms held out streteched.

"Ariane!" he called with delight in his voice, "I am so glad you could come!"

For her part Ariane shot him an evil look as she made her way up the steps. Sheepishly he stoped and frowned.

"Oh I am sorry my dear. What is it?? Oh yes Katie! No mater it is good to see you!"

Ariane smiled as she drew close and hugged the elder man, "Good to see you too Terek how have you been?"

"Not bad although my role here on Naboo is nothing more that a show these days it still keeps me busy and no matter what you may say about the imperials they are brutally efficient! But please come inside you need to wash and change before the party. I'll show you too your room!"

Terek showed her up the winding stair case and into a room near the back of the house. The room was a well furnished and for all intentional purposes comfortable bedroom. A large four poster bed pierced the room for the wall on the left hand side and a large chest/dresser sat against the right wall. On the back wall towards the right corner another door lead out of the room and just to the left a large sliding porch lead out to the veranda beyond.

"The bathroom is back there" indicated Terek waving his had to the door on the back wall. Take all the time that you need to prepare my dear, I don't expect the first guests to arrive for at least another two hours."

He shuffled nervously by the door for a moment and then opened the door to leave and then stopped.

"If you have any weapons with you my dear you can leave them in your back with the guard in the kitchen, he will look after you and them this evening so you need not worry just enjoy yourself."

"Any imperials going to be here this evening?" she questioned as she putt her hold all on the bed and started to retrieve some personal items.

"One! as far as I know a Captain Khiernan if I heard his name right," smiled her friend, "Don't worry I'm sure he'll stick out like a sore thumb in all his imperial finery" snarled Terek as he slipped out the door and closed it gently behind him.

Ariane smiled as her old friend left the room and she pulled the dress out of her bag, she held it a loft for a moment to ensure it had not been too crinkled during the trip here and then gently hung it up on the wardrobe door. Then she slipped out of her jumpsuit and proceeded to the bathroom to get washed.

The party had already well started by the time she ventured down the main stairs into the reception area. Many people picked their way through the select crowd and many old acquantaces were re-united. Ariane stood for a moment at the top of the stairs and took one last look at herself, she was happy to see that her mother's dress still fit her even after all this time.

The dress was a black evening dress, the neckline plunged somewhat to reveal the top of her chest and the dress itself was backless. The dress was held up, just about, by two clear straps that in this light were almost ivisible. The dress stopped just above her kness and each side was cut to reveal her thigh and stopped just below her panty line. The cut of the dress hung close to her body almost like she was wearing a second skin and made the dress extremely comfortable to wear and to finish it off she wore a pair of black, strapped shoes.

As she started down the stairs Terek noticed her approach.

"Ah Katie!" he smiled winking as he did so, "Come her let me introduce you to some people!"

Gingerly she took his arm and alowed him to lead her into the throng.

"Any sign of the imperial?" she asked

"No body with an imperial uniform has arrived my dear. I told you, you can relax. I won't let anything happen to you!"

Sitting in the halted landspeeder Kheiron checked out the ‘diplomats’ place. It looked like the party was in full swing, if you can say this sort of event had any swing whatsoever. There didn’t seem to be any obvious security presence but no one in Terek Kasurh's position went unprotected, no doubt there were quite a few guards dressed to blend in with the guests. There was no obvious Imperial presence either, no uniform or trooper armour to be seen. Kheiron classified the situation as minimal risk and decided to proceed.
Kheiron stepped from the landspeeder, straightened out his clothes and walked over to the gathering. By the looks of the buffet table if Kheiron didn’t have a good time here at least he’ll get a good meal, there certainly was quite a bit on offer. Before Kheiron would sample the edibles however his instinctive reaction was to further observe the security measures in place and scope out any uncertain risks. Kheiron noticed seven guards wandering around the main area, along with a few around the perimeter, it looked like Kasurh had this place pretty well secured. After Kheiron took a little unaided tour of the house he decided there was nothing going on here except some half done public relations campaigning and started to relax. As his objectives stated he stayed in the background of things and observed, making sure nothing happened here that was against the interest of the Empire, Imperials know all to well what some ‘diplomats’ will do once power is denied them.
Kheiron continued to watch the place as he tried some of the food from the table. It was good and very tasty however he nearly choked on the stuff when he noticed who was standing by Tereks pool. None other then miss morning invisible, Katie, probably the last person he wanted to see, though she was very nice to look at. ‘Nothing beats a LBD’ Kheiron thought to himself and he enjoyed the site, but once he remembered what she had done to him earlier he wanted nothing to do with her. The biggest problem was that her actions made no sense, if she had stolen a few things while she was at it Kheiron wouldn’t of minded so much, but leaving after that night was seriously screwed up.
Kheiron finished off what food he had left in his hands and went to the bar to get himself a drink.

Ariane stayed close to Terek as he mingled and chatted with the guests, once again he had excelled himself and had laid out quite a spread for his guests. The music was lively and the crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves but Ariane was not really in the mood and try as she might she could not join in on the festivites.

"Whats wrong my dear?" asked Terek as he noticed her hung expression.

"Oh nothing!" she replied, lying desperatly, "I just don't quite feel myself today!" it wasn't a complete lie she wasn't feeling herself but it was not due to any illness, at least not any physical illness that a doctor could help her with.

Faining pain she clutched at her chest, "Excuse me Terek. I'm going to go get some air!"

"Oh course my dear take your time. I'll let you know if our imperial friend arrives" he paused for a moment to look at his chrono, "but at this stage I doubt if he'll make an appearance!"

Ariane smiled warmly at the old man and kissed him gently on the cheek, then she silently slipped out the back door.

A few moments later she found herself standing at Terek's large pool, the light from the moon glistened across the calm water and the husstle of the party was lost. The light dancing across the water reminded her of the lake near her home and as she watched the light dancing her mind wandered back to yesterday and to Nyran. She remembered the conversation that they had, the laughs and the passion but most of all she remembered him. He was like some flame haired spectre who would not leave her dreams, his image haunted her. The very thought of his face, his body, his embrace made her feel all warm.

While getting his drink from the bar Kheiron had a change of heart, or an onset of curiousity, and ordered a second drink. He turned to view Katie still by the pool, looking somewhat distant and unhappy. Seeing her like that drained all the hostile feelings Kheiron felt towards her and replaced them with empathy.
Not knowing what to expect Kheiron moved over to the pool. Now standing a few metres from Katie Kheiron got butterflies. This was the woman who disppeared with no explaination, brought him to the heights and dropped him back down, why would he possibly want to speak to her again?
He still didn't know why when he moved up to stand beside her, looking at thier reflections, side by side in the rippling water.
"When I was sixteen I met the 'love of my life'," Kheiron began, keeping his eyes fixed on his own reflection in the water, "She was the first woman I'd ever loved and until last night she was the only one. The time I spent with her taught me a lot of valuable lessons, cheif of which was if you want something, fight for it and I intend to do just that. So if your willing to fight along side me please accept this drink, if you do not I shall walk away from here and leave your life as you tried to leave mine"
With that said Kheiron extended his hand and held the drink before Katie, eagerly awaiting her next move with mixed emotions.

Ariane was surprised to hear the familiar voice and she spun around to see Nyran standing with a drink offered in his out stretched hand. She smiled sheepishly at him and cupped her hands around his. He heart pounded as she looked at him and all her doubts vanished into nothing. The party too disolved completely, she could swear they were the only two there.

"OH Nyran I am so sorry!" she started as tears welled up in her eyes, "I really do care for you but.........it's compicated. My life is complicated and I can not get you involved in that!"

Her hands were cupped around his extended hand with the drink, his hands were warm, much like the rest of him. For a moment the doubts raised their head once again then she looked deep in his eyes and her decision was made.

"But that's all over now. If you're willing to fight for us then so am I!"

She smiled warmly at him as she gently took the glass from his hand then she stepped in close to him but this time did not need to step on her toes as her high heels made them both the same height. She kissed him passionatly and he kissed her. Fumbling desperatly they both managed to put their drinks on the garden table beside them as they continued to kiss!

Quietly they found a table in the garden, away from the guests and the busstle of the party. They sat and talked. Talked about everything and nothing, but mostly they gazed deep into each other's eyes. Ariane was lost in her feelings, feelings she had never felt but feelings she could remember her mother having for her father all those years ago and she knew this could not be wrong.

She made a quiet promise to herself that as long as he wanted her, she would be his. She would not let the mistakes her mother had made be repeated, she would leave her life behind. Leave Black Nova, Elodin her life all behind to be with him. This would be a new begining for her, too long she had allowed the specture of her parents and of the force rule her life now she was going to take it back she would have her own life again.

The conversation between the two was rather sparse and quite random, though any onlooker with an IQ above the negatives could see that the verbal exchange of words was mearly the tip of what was going on between them. On an emotional, spiritual and 'higher' level the connections were being forged. Like a leaping spider on a bungee cord of silk each reached out to the other, forming a web of ties that was leave them inseparable, despite whatever the universe could throw at them. Truly a work of emotinal art.
'Hows that for luck' Kheiron thought to himself , 'In two days I've gone from sick leave to love sick, though I must say I'm a little curious about her actions, she seems rather 'afraid' of letting me into her world, I guess its for my protection according to her mind, but if its something that bad I might have to save her', Kheirons serious thoughts were inturrepted by his 'interesting' sense of humour, 'Next thing you know she tell me she is a Jedi Knight, Vaders her next door neighbor, Palpatines her uncle and she has a part time job shipping burgers and fries to the Rebellion...
Kheiron covered the self-induced chuckle with a faked cough and then continued to converse with the gorgeous red head who stole his heart.

Kheiron and Katie were still engage in sporatic conversation when the sound of a piano in the distance caught his attention. Reaching across the small table Kheiron placed a finger across Katie's lips, then rose from his seat, walked around to her, and held out his arm, "May I have this dance m'lady?".
The song was perfect for dancing, slow and romantic, and the two moved together in the open area before the band. Soon after Kheiron and Katie started to dance other couples from the tables joined them and in no time at all the area was full of lovers, hand in hand.
The song ended with a round of applause from the dancers, including Kheiron, then close to all returned to thier seats. "You know what," Kheiron began, "we've done this back to front, we've danced, kissed and even made love before we've even had a date, lets make up for that lost opportunity, how about dinner, tomorrow, what do you say?"

Sipping from his glass Kheiron replied "My house, at least to start off with, we could have breakfast by the light of the rising sun, followed by a relaxing stroll through the Naboo landscape, if you're up for it a ride on those Tusk Cats you're so fond of would certainly be nice," Kheiron said through a smile, "Then the rest of the day can be spent how ever you choose, ranging from a trip through the stratosphere to a spree at the local mall, you'd be amazed at my credit limit, to finish off the sunlit moments I propose we dine at this place run by an old friend of mine, candlelight, music, fine drinks and the best Corellian aircake this side of Ord Mandell" Kheiron took another sip of his drink, "So, hows that grab you?"
Just before Katie answered however, Kheiron's communicator beeped and displayed a short message. It was Command, inquiring as to why his report of the gathering was taking such time.
"Damn, I'm sorry Katie but it seems that I have some things to do at home, I truly am sorry" Kheiron explained as he stood from his seat and rounded the table to plant a kiss upon Katie's forehead. Just as he was about to leave Kheiron hinted "Do you need a lift?, I could drop you off at my place if you'd like, its not to far out of my way..."

"No but thank you for the offer" she smiled warmly in return although she really wanted to take his offer she had something she had to attend to at home, something that had called to her since her return to Naboo, but she had denied it's requests, now it was time to answer them.

She escorted Nyran to the door and the two embraced warmly before sharing a passionate good night kiss.

"I'll see you in the morning" she whispered into his ear as they embraced.

After she watched Nyran pull away she returned to the party and said her goodbye's to the others and then retired back to her room to change. A short time later she was back on her speeder bike racing back to her home by the lakes

The moonlight glistened off the surface of the lake as the speeder bike approached the house. The noise of the approach startled a few nuna who were slowly foraging, and they ran startled by the noise.

With ease Ariane pulled the bike up just outside the house and silently she alighted, she grabbed her hold all bag from the back of the bike and, after pausing for a moment to admire the full moon reflecting off the silver water, she continued inside. The house was dark but this did not bother her, quickly passing her hand over the entry sensor and the room was well illuminated. Casually she threw her hold all on the table and undid the zip.

As the zip opened she paused for a moment, almost unsure whethar to continue, and then with a re-afirmation of her intent she pulled the zip the rest of the way. Slowly she peeked inside, there sitting silently inside the hold all was a silver cylinder, her lightsaber. The hilt was almost double the length of a standard saber and no visible controls could be seen on the smooth metal surface.

For a moment Ariane held her hand, suspended, just short of her weapon. She could hear it calling to her, she could feel it's influence pulling at her. She had been afraid to wield the weapon since she had created it, indeed her father had not been happy with her using two RED crystals in it's construction. Ariane had put it down to superstision when he had told her the history of red crystals, after all a Jedi should Feel pulled towards the crystals used in the creation of her lightsaber, but, ever since the night she had completed it's construction she had felt it's influence. In panic she had put the weapon in storage and had not used it since, but now, it was time to over come her fears.

Kheirons speeder pulled up to the house in a relatively short time, mostly due to the general nature of Imperial drivers and the Imperial issued landspeeders upgraded engines, after all, mere civilian level equipment wont suffice for the mighty Empire.
After the driver was dismissed and the lead house guard was greeted Kheiron stepped inside his large, and lonely, house. He made his way up the stairs and to his bedroom, where the direct Imperial comm link was mounted on the wall, where he was to make his report on the nights festivities.
The comm link came alive with a whispered beep and after his authority codes and identification were cleared he began to give his report.
"Report 11-AC-27-V, Level 5, Captain Kheiron reporting. Terek Kasurh's gathering proved to be a waste of my time. Apart from the general chatter and self-gratifying statements of ones rank and power, (the last word said with clear sarcasm), there was little of the gathering but the food which, while probably expensive, wasn't to my taste. I observed no beings or events that would prove to be against the interest of the Empire and Terek Kasurch himself seems to be little more then a common civilian official, certainly no threat to anyone provided he doesn't bore them to death with one of his functions. Kheiron out"
With that Kheiron flicked off the comm link and got ready for bed.

As Ariane walked out onto the porch with her weapon in hand, she marvelled at how well balanced the new weapon was. She had lightsabers in the past but none had felt like this. This weapon felt like it was part of her, an extension of her own body. She had never had her own lightsaber before only one's given to her by others. She had often wondered why Jedi were so uncomfortable using someone else's blade and now she understood why. The link created between a jedi and their weapon is unique between them, she could feel the connection between herself and this blade. Almost as if they belonged together.

But there was something else, something she had not been expecting. A feeling of power, a stiring of emotions! This she had told no one about, in truth, the first time she felt it, it scared her. But now the more she held the weapon and opened herself to it, the more it felt right. She stopped at the edge of the porch and looked out at the lake. Then she slowly untied the boat tied to the porch and, putting her new weapon in front of her, started to row to a small island in the centre of the lake.

Upon reaching the island she tied the little boat up to a small wooden Jeti and went ashore. She stood for a moment on the Jeti looking down into the cool water below before releasing the clasps on her dress and letting it fall around her feet. Standing in her underwear for a few moments she took a deep breath and dived into the cool, clear water. After a few moments swiming straight down she reached her goal.

A small Gungan village was hidden under the island, long deserted it was big enough to act as a hidden hanger. Upon entry to this secluded hanger, standing in front of her sat the silent form of a Macrow class freighter, Quinn's Legacy. The ship had not moved since their arrival on Naboo but it did have a little cargo that R5 had delivered to them when they met after she and Elodin, with Kregor,Reed and Galena's help, had escaped from Coruscant.

The lights to the hanger activated as Ariane entered the area.

"Cyborgs!" she called in the direction of the sleeping freighter. "Activate! Training program 1 delta!"

For a moment nothing happened, Ariane started to look around the room, nothing stired, even 1-5A sat quietly in his new resting place.

Suddenly a loud clanking noise came from the confines of the freighter. Ariane's attention was drawn towards the noise. As she watched the last three remaining training cyborgs from Phantom base thundered down the walkway and leveled their weapons at her.

At the same moment she became aware of the almost inaudible hiss of training drones moving in from behind her.

With a snap the two blades of her lightsaber ignited, the red glow of the dual blades gently illumated the area around them and bathed Ariane's face with a red glow. Standing to a ready stack with her saberstaff in front of her she prepared herself.

"Time to see what this blade can do!" she quiped as the Cyborgs unleashed their intial volley!

Her new weapon preformed even better than she had expected. She handled the weapon as if it had always been hers. She deftly blocked all the incoming fire from the cyborgs and then backward summersaulted over the charging training drones as they unleashed they're volley at her.

The absolute power that she felt wielding the lightsaber was unequalled, even as one of the red blades crashed through a training drone she could feel her heart race though she did not know why, it was almost as if someone was there guiding her, helping her, encouraging her. Despite being the only living being in the 'hanger' she felt like she was not alone.

Lost in herself she practiced through the night. She was however not surprised when her chronmeter told her the sun would be rising in a little over an hour and a half. She stopped her drones and deactivated her lightsaber. She was breathless and exhausted but she was envigorated. She had never felt this way before, at least not because of a weapon.

Silently she slipped out into the lake and then back to the house in the little rowing boat.

About an hour later she got on her speeder bike, she had changed into a pair of blue casual trousers(jeans) and a white loose blouse and a good pair of riding boots. She quickly made her way to her uncle's ranch and borrowed two Iktopi for the day. Then with one in tow she galloped to Nyran's house hoping he would not be waiting on her.

As prior requested, one of the house guards walked into Kheirons bedroom to wake him, just upon sunrise. However, the guards trouble wasn't necessary. Kheiron lay in bed, staring up towards the ceiling of his room, distant in all ways but the physical. The guard was tempted to move over and check his pulse but was dismissed by a way of the hand which ectually startled him slightly.
Grudingly returning to the real world Kheiron swung his legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood. He must get a stiffer matress, this soft and cushy variety wasn't somthing he was use to, or something he wanted to get use to. Within minutes Kheiron was dressed in his usual garb, black and long sleeved, and on his way to the kitchen, on the prowl for food.
Breakfast, if it could be called that, at least resembled food in some way. Luckily it all came straight from the can.
After a quick stop at the bathroom to wash up and fix his hair Kheiron grabbed the book which he began reading the first time Katie spent time in his bed.
Now, under the rising sun, Kheiron read, while waiting for Katie to honour her promising of meeting him in the morning.

The sun was just starting to rise as 'Katie' approached Nyran's house. As she approached she could make out he was reading while awaiting her arrival, her heart thumped in her chest as she could make him out sitting, relaxed on a lawn chair.

She urged her mount into a light trot as she approached the massive house and as she drew close she saw he noticed her approach and put his book to one side. He stood to greet her as she closed the last few meters to the house.

Kheiron slowly folded a corner of the books page to keep his place then closed it and set it down.
"Good morning gorgous" Kheiron called out as Katie halted her mount and trailing Ikopi.
"Good morning!" came her reply, "I'm not late am I?"
"Not that I know, I see we're taking Ikopi for a ride today, any reason behind that?"
"I'm sorry, still a bit nervous after the other day. I thought we'd take something a bit tamer. I hope you don't mind?"
"Less likely to get trampled by Ikopi when you're on one anyway"
"Thats the plan"
Kheiron rises from his chair and streches, then smilies at Katie.
"So, are we heading off now or would you like a drink?"
"I make it a rule not to drink this early. Besides the beauty of the countryside can be just as intoxicating"
"Yeah, I've got nothing against nature, its a shame so few people get to see it these days"
He turns around to grab his gear off the ground, including his T-21 and sword and, once they're settled in place, makes his way over to Katie and the waiting mounts.
Katie throws him the reigns of the other Ikopi and then kicks her mount into gear, just as she issues her challenge, "Lets see what type of rider you are then!"
As Katie is moving off into the distance Kheiron vaults onto his Ikopi and calls after her,
"I'm a great rider, just remind me where the 'on' switch is for this thing!" Then starts off after her.

The shuttle arrived promptly at 2pm and Kheiron and Katie, standing at the head of the queue, quickly entered. Katie sat down on the nearest seat and Kheiron turned around as he blocked the doorway, slowly shaking his head at the other prospective passangers. Taking the hint, they didn't bother trying to enter before the shuttles doors closed.
After forking over a little incentaive to the pilot Kheiron convinced him to take a little detour from the predefined route. As the shuttle began leaving Naboo's atmosphere Kheiron walked back over to Katie, took her hand and moved towards the viewports.
Naboo, like a giant marble of green and blue spun against the blackness of space, the twinkle of stars in the background framing the wonderous sight. No matter how many other planets Kheiron sees from the bridge of Star Destroyers, Naboo always outclasses them. Maybe its just the home court advantage.
The pair spent quite a bit of time aboard the shuttle, taking in the sights, before decending back to solid ground at around 6pm.
The dinner Kheiron had planned was for 8pm and if either of them was to look there best for the occasion it was past time for a shower and change of clothes.